Folding mechanism for a treadmill

ABSTRACT

A folding mechanism for a treadmill including a handrail assembly pivotally attached by a coupling shaft to both sides of the front end of a base frame of a treadmill. Meanwhile, a positioning unit with an engaging element is provided such that the handrail assembly can be downwardly moved toward the base frame in an initial storage position. Moreover, an n-shaped foot rest is swivelably disposed at the center of the coupling shaft by a connecting arm. In this way, the n-shaped foot rest can be extended from a front crossbar of the base frame by the synchronic swiveling action of the coupling shaft when the handrail assembly is moved in the initial storage position. In match with an n-shaped supporting frame, the base frame can be brought into an upright position to achieve a vertical and stable folding state.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Fields of the Invention

The present invention relates to a folding mechanism for a treadmill, and more particularly to a treadmill with a hidden and subsidiary foot rest.

2. Description of the Related Art

As we all know, the volume of all kinds of the treadmills is very large. Meanwhile, the treadmill is provided with a folding mechanism for folding it in a storage position so as to facilitate the transportation and storage.

In other words, the above-mentioned basic accessories of the treadmill include protruding folding components and related elements that will, however, affect the appearance of the treadmill very much and give us a poor visual impression.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the inventor of the present invention based on years of experience in the related industry to conduct extensive researches and experiments, and finally invented and developed a folding mechanism for a treadmill that employs a hidden and subsidiary foot rest to effectively resolve the above-mentioned problems.

Therefore, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a folding mechanism for a treadmill including a handrail assembly pivotally attached by a coupling shaft to both sides of the front end of a base frame of a treadmill. Meanwhile, a positioning unit with an engaging element is provided such that the handrail assembly can be downwardly moved toward the base frame in an initial storage position. Moreover, an n-shaped foot rest is swivelably disposed at the center of the coupling shaft by a connecting arm. In this way, the n-shaped foot rest can be extended from a front crossbar of the base frame by the synchronic swiveling action of the coupling shaft when the handrail assembly is moved in the initial storage position. In match with an n-shaped supporting frame, the base frame can be brought into an upright position to achieve a vertical and stable folding state.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accomplishment of this and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and its accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of partial components of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of the operation of the partial components of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of the continuous operation of the partial components of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of the invention in a storage position after the folding process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention will now be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings that show various embodiments of the invention.

Firstly, referring to FIG. 1 through 6, a handrail assembly 30 is pivotally attached by a coupling shaft 20 to both sides of the front end of a base frame 12 of a treadmill 10. Meanwhile, a positioning unit 40 with an engaging element 41 is provided such that the handrail assembly 30 can be downwardly moved toward the base frame 12 in an initial storage position (see FIG. 5). Moreover, an n-shaped foot rest 50 is swivelably disposed at the center of the coupling shaft 20 by a connecting arm 22. In this way, the n-shaped foot rest 50 can be extended from a front crossbar 14 of the base frame 12 by the synchronic swiveling action of the coupling shaft 20 when the handrail assembly 30 is moved in the initial storage position. In match with an n-shaped supporting frame 16, the base frame 12 can be brought into an upright position to achieve a vertical and stable folding state (see FIG. 6).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the positioning unit 40 includes an engaging element 41, a coupling shaft 42 hidden within the handrail assembly 30, an elastic element 43 and a positioning bar 44. The positioning bar 44 has a first insertion hole 441 and a second insertion hole 442 at the end surface thereof. In pushing the engaging element 41 upward (see FIG. 4), the coupling shaft 42 will be released from the first insertion hole 441 such that the handrail assembly 30 can rotate on the coupling shaft 20 downwardly in a storage position. By use of the action of the elastic element 43, the coupling shaft 42 will be automatically inserted into the second insertion hole 442 to create a prearranged positioning effect (see FIG. 5).

In bringing the treadmill 10 in an operation position, the base frame 12 has to be pushed downward in contact to the ground. Thereafter, the engaging element 41 is pushed back to the original operation position. Accordingly, a practical operation is achieved.

Of course, the n-shaped supporting frame 16 includes auxiliary rollers 18 at both sides thereof for facilitating the pushing displacement of the treadmill 10. This is a common art and not the features of the invention. Therefore, no further descriptions thereto are given hereinafter.

Many changes and modifications in the above-described embodiments of the invention can, of course, be carried out without departing from the scope thereof. Accordingly, to promote the progress in science and the useful arts, the invention is disclosed and is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A folding mechanism for a treadmill, comprising a handrail assembly being pivotally attached by a coupling shaft to both sides of the front end of a base frame of a treadmill, a positioning unit with an engaging element being provided such that the handrail assembly can be downwardly moved toward the base frame in an initial storage position, a n-shaped foot rest being swivelably disposed at the center of the coupling shaft by a connecting arm, whereby the n-shaped foot rest can be extended from a front crossbar of the base frame by the synchronic swiveling action of the coupling shaft when the handrail assembly is moved in the initial storage position; in match with an n-shaped supporting frame, the base frame can be brought into an upright position to achieve a vertical and stable folding state.
 2. The folding mechanism for a treadmill as recited in claim 1, wherein the positioning unit includes an engaging element, a coupling shaft hidden within the handrail assembly, an elastic element and a positioning bar, and wherein the positioning bar has a first insertion hole and a second insertion hole at the end surface thereof. 